No process of bereavement is easy. The circumstances surrounding the death of a loved one can make life far more difficult, especially if we lose someone unexpectedly or in a violent way, such as the death of a child or the death of someone due to suicide. A strong sense of loss can also develop after a relationship breakdown, redundancy, or health problems which cause loss of ability.

Talking to those around us can be difficult as we sometimes put a time-limit on our grief and we are reluctant to burden others. We may struggle to understand feelings of loss and how to minimize them.